About Vidya Dharma: Path to Knowledge Project

Vidya Dharma means Path of Knowledge. This was the 2011 Journey to India taken by Mount Madonna School students as part of the Values in World Thought Program. The students named their trip Vidya Dharma and spent the school year preparing for this life changing journey.

In Delhi, the students met with U.S. Ambassador to India, Timothy Roemer, and a member of the Lok Sabha (Upper House of Parliament). Later they met with the students of the Heritage School in Gurgaon.

The itinerary also included a visit to the Sri Ram Orphanage and school, a train ride to Amritsar to visit the famed Golden Temple, and several days in the hill station Dharamsala to visit the Tibetan Children's Village and finally a conversation with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama.

Susie Bryan
After lunch we made our way along the streets to Jama Masjid, the mosque that towers over Old Delhi. The mosque was breathtaking in size, beauty, age and history. We were asked to take our shoes off and women wearing western clothes were fitted with smocks for modesty before we could walk through one of the three massive gates of the mosque.

The mosque was several thousand years old, its last climbable tower, whose 115 step, dizzyingly narrow staircase gave me a monstrous headache, gave a view of the city that only a picture could help to describe. The mosque was massive and could hold a few hundred thousand people for prayers during important religious holidays. Though only a few people were there to pray when we were, the presence of faith and devotion surrounded us. At one point we were given special treatment and shown holy Muslim artifacts, including scriptures written on deer skin and a hair from the chin of the prophet Mohammad. Though we ourselves were unable to appreciate the full meaning of these objects, the Muslims around us crowded around and elbowed their way to the front of our group to catch even a glimpse of them. They looked fascinated and intrigued, and I was struck with the sense that for them, this could be a life-changing event that affirmed their beliefs. I’ll never be able to comprehend how much faith those people had, but visiting Jama Masjid at least made me more aware of my ignorance towards religious faith. I have a greater appreciation for the religion of Islam and it’s followers because of our visit there.

How wonderful for you to experience how true faith expresses itself in devotion and not violence. I appreciate your insight into the Islamic religion.

Ardis

I admire your sensitivity to the face of devotion to God. The most important acquisition of your journey is your awakening. Submerge yourself in that very feeling, of not knowing of these things before. And now, how will this change who you are and who you become?